Nutating disk meters



Dec. 3, 19% A. c. CURTISS ET AL 3,413,851

NUTATING DISK METERS Filed Sept. 29, 1966 3,413,851 NUTATING DISK METERS Alan Clarkson Curtiss, Wellesley Hills, and Leo Graham Qwens, Dedham, Mass., assignors to Hersey-Sparling Meter Company, Dedham, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 583,011 1 Claim. (Cl. 73258) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Fluid metering device of the nutating disk type in which the diaphragm in the disk chamber is removable and is biased against the ball shaped disk bearing and against the bottom surface of the chamber by a resilient member located at the juncture of the top and side surfaces of the chamber shell.

This invention relates to fluid metering assemblies.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a fluid metering assembly of the nutating disk type having a minimum number of parts, yet capable of complete disassembly without tools, and in which the interior surfaces of the disk chamber simultaneously support the disk and hold the disk-locating diaphragm in accurate registry with the interior surfaces of the chamber to effectively and reliably seal off fluid flow across the diaphragm, while at the same time minimizing high manufacturing tolerances. Other objects are to provide such an assembly that is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, yet highly reliable in operation.

The invention features a fluid metering assembly in which a unitary disk chamber shell provides a generally conical top interior surface having a central Opening therethrough and a side interior surface oriented at an acute angle to said top surface, and a removable disk chamber cap provides an interior bottom surface generally opposing said top surface. The top and bottom surfaces support for nutation therebetween the ball shaped central bearing portion of a radially slotted conically surfaced disk piston with a spindle extending from the bearing portion through the opening in the top surface of the shell. A disk chamber diaphragm extends into the slot in the position to angularly locate the same, the diaphragm having three edges for respective registry with the top, side, and bottom surfaces of the disk chamber and an arcuate working edge for registry with the exterior surface of the ball shaped bearing portion, the edges in registry with the respective surfaces preventing passage of fluid across the diaphragm within the chamber. In preferred embodiments a resilient member is located at the juncture of the top and side shell surfaces in contact with the diaphragm to simultaneously bias the same toward the ball shaped bearing portion and the bottom chamber surface, and the chamber cap snaps into the shell to bring the bottom surface into fluid sealing contact with the diaphragm thereby forcing the diaphragm against the resilient member.

Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken together With the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation partly in section of a register box including the metering assembly of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation along 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation along 44 of FIG. 2 with the outer wall of the register box broken away.

Referring to the drawings, register box 10 includes an upper portion 12 housing a register assembly and drive States Patent train assembly, the latter including at its bottom an input magnet 14 driven through water tight casing wall 16 by lower drive assembly 18 including output magnet 20 and clevis 21. Wall 16 has a downward annular extension 23. Fluid input and output pipe extension ports 22, 24, each externally threaded at its free end, open through opposite sides of cylindrical housing wall 26 near the bottom of box 10. Nylon mesh protective strainer 28 is mounted inside wall 26 adjacent port 24. Closure plate 30 is bolted to the bottom of box 10, with plastic liner 32 providing a fiuid tight seal.

Disk chamber 34 includes a unitary shell 36, removable cap 38, and removable diaphragm (each made of a chlorinated polyester thermoplastic sold as Penton by the Hercules Powder Co.). Shell 36 includes a top portion 42 providing a generally conical top interior surface 44 with circular central opening 45, and a side portion 46 providing a moderately concave side interior surface 48 sloping downwardly and outwardly at an angle of about 70 from the upper periphery of surface 44 and terminating at downwardly directed annular rim 47. Radial groove 50 in surface 44 lies in the same vertical plane as fiat-floored groove 52 (a side wall of each of these grooves is partially broken away in FIG. 1) in surface 48, these two grooves being joined at the junction of surfaces 44 and 48 by groove 54 the floor of which is directed downwardly and inwardly toward the center of the shell. Cylindrical neoprene rubber insert 56 is secured along the floor of groove 54. Annular extension 58 is spaced around opening 45, extending upwardly from top portion 42. Strength-providing vertical bosses 60 are located along the inside of rim 58. Neopream rubber sand seal ring 62, of diameter equal to the of extension 23, fits around and extends above extension '58.

Diaphragm 40 (.062 inch thick) has straight edges 82 and 84 which respectively register with surfaces 44, 48 in grooves 50, 52, and edge 86 running between edges 82 and 84 and registering with rubber insert 56, an arcuate working edge 88 generally opposite edge 84, and a stepped bottom edge 90 where narrow flange 92 terminates at its vertical and horizontal edges 94, 96 respectively at side surface 48 and slightly below annular rim 47 of side portion 46. Ribs 98 run along the sides of diaphragm 40 spaced from and parallel to working edge 88.

Around the outside of shell side portion 46 are spaced, at 120 interval, narrow vertical bosses 64, 66, the latter having its outer surface vertically slotted at 68 to admit locating pin 69 mounted on wall 46, and wider vertical boss 70 through which passes fluid input port 72 communicating with the interior of chamber 34. Elliptical O-ring groove 74 surrounds port 72 in the outer surface of boss 70. Fluid output port 73 is cut through chamber portion 46 adjacent port 72, grooves 50, 52, 54 and diaphragm 40 separating these two ports.

Disk chamber cap 38 provides interior bottom surface 102 of chamber 34, centrally spherically depressed at 104 with relief opening 105. The outer periphery of cap 38 is stepped down to provide an annular shelf 106 and a vertical cylindrical rim 108 of diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the bottom of shell side portion 46, the cap thus being arranged to be manually snapped into or out of shell 36.

Disk piston 110 (made of hard rubber) includes a ball shaped bearing portion 112, at the center of conical disk 114, the latter having a full radial slot 116 reduced in width at 118 adjacent the outer edge of the disk. Spindle 117 extends from portion 112 along the axis of the conical disk. The diameter of disk 114 and the contour of surface 48 are such that the outer edge of the disk is always fully in contact with surface 48 as it nutates within chamber 34.

To assemble the apparatus, diaphragm 40 is inserted in shell 36 as already indicated, and piston 110 is placed in the shell with the upper part of bearing portion 112 resting in, and spindle 117 extending through, opening 45, and diaphragm 40 in slot 116. Working edge 88 of the diaphragm will be in registry with the surface of bearing portion 112. Cap 38 is snapped into shell 36 so that the lower part bearing portion 112 is seated in depression 104 and thus supported between surfaces 102 and 44. Interior surface 102 comes into tight registry with diaphragm edge 90, with shelf 106 contacting flange 92, forcing the diaphragm slightly upwardly against insert 56. Insert 56 thus simultaneously biases the diaphragm toward bearing portion 112 and bottom interior surface 102. Seal ring 62 is placed around rim 58 and O-ring 75 snapped into groove 74. The now assembled chamber 34 is inserted inside housing wall 26 and pushed upwardly until spindle 117 enters clevis 21 and ring 62 contacts and is slightly compressed against the bottom edge of projection 23, ring 62 thus serving to orient the chamber vertically. Chamber 34 is angularly oriented so that input ports 22 and 72 are aligned, O-ring 75 preventing fluid input from bypassing chamber 34. The chamber contacts and is supported by wall 26 at bosses 64, 66, and 70. Closure plate 30 is now bolted into place.

In operation fluid enters chamber 34 through the input ports, circulates through the chamber to the other side of the diaphragm and leaves through output ports 73 and 24, said circulation causing piston 110 to nutate and thereby to impart rotative motion to clevis 21 and magnet in proportion to the amount of flow. The virtually fluid tight registry between the edges of the diaphragm and the interior surfaces of the chamber, as well as the seal between the O-ring and wall 26, ensures that all fluid entering the box is effectively metered.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid metering assembly comprising:

a housing having a horizontal wall with a downward cylindrical extension and a cylindrical wall terminating at its bottom in a downwardly directed annular rim, said cylindrical wall having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet therethrough,

a disk chamber supported inside said cylindrical wall,

a radially slotted conically surfaced disk piston supported for nutation inside said chamber and having a ball shaped central bearing portion and a spindle extending out of said chamber,

said chamber comprising:

a unitary disk chamber shell having:

a top portion providing a generally conical top interior surface with a central circular opening therethrough and an annular ex tension spaced around said opening and directed upwardly from said top portion, said top portion further including a plurality of vertical lugs spaced along the inside of said extension to strengthen the same, and

a side portion providing a moderately concave side interior surface sloping downwardly and outwardly at an acute angle from the upper periphery of said top interior surface and terminating in a downwardly directed annular rim, said side portion having adjacent fluid inlet and outlet ports therethrough,

said top interior surface having a radial groove, and said side interior surface hav- 7 ing a flat-floored groove extending through said rim, said grooves lying in a common vertical plane between said ports through said shell side portion, said two grooves being joined at the juncture of said top and side interior surfaces by a third groove the floor of which is directed downwardly and inwardly toward the center of said shell, said third groove having secured along its floor a resilient rubber insert,

a removable disk chamber cap providing a centrally depressed bottom interior surface generally opposing said top interior surface, said top and bottom interior surfaces supporting said ball shaped bearing portion therebetween at said opening and said depression with said spindle extending through said opening, the outer periphery of said cap being stepped down to provide an annular shelf and a vertical cylindrical rim of diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of said shell side portion at said annular rim, whereby said cap can be manually snapped into engagement with said shell,

a disk chamber diaphragm removably received in said grooves to separate said ports through said shell side portion, said diaphragm extending into said slot in said piston to angularly locate the same and having first and second straight edges registering respectively with said top and side interior surfaces in said radial and flat-floored grooves, a third straight edge running between said other two straight edges and registering with said rubber insert in said third groove, an arcuate working edge registering with the surface of said ball shaped bearing portion, and a stepped bottom edge registering with said bottom interior surface when said cap is in said shell, a narrow flange at said bottom edge extending, when said cap is removed from said shell, slightly below said annular rim, and

a rubber seal ring removable fitted around said annular extension directed upwardly from said shell top portion, said ring being of diameter equal to that of said annular extension from said horizontal wall, whereby and seal ring contacts and is slightly compressed by said extension from said horizontal wall when said chamber is installed in said cylindrical wall,

said shell having three external vertical bosses contacting said cylindrical wall and supporting said chamber therewithin, one of said bosses having said inlet port through said shell passing therethrough and being grooved to admit an elliptical O-ring, said inlet through said shell being aligned with said inlet through said cylindrical wall, said O-ring providing a seal around said inlets between said chamber and said cylindrical wall to prevent fluid flow from the inlet to the outlet of said housing bypassing said chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 JAMES J. GILL, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT S. SALZMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

